Back to lesson

God Provides in the Wilderness

Kids (ages 4-8) · Exodus 16:1-18; Exodus 17:1-7; Deuteronomy 8:2-3 · Standard ·35 minutes

Teach now

Objective: Children retell how God provided food and water for His people in the wilderness.

Read: Exodus 16:4, 13-18; 17:1-6

Opening: Ask: What do people need every day to live and grow?

Say:

Ask:

Do: Use the Need and Provision Path to place Need, Complaint, Provision, and Gratitude in order.

Close: Pray: God, thank You for daily food, water, care, and people who help us.

Materials: Bible; Need and Provision Path or four blank cards

Standard outline · 35 minutes

  1. 4 minConnect. Use the opening prompt and invite two or three brief responses.
  2. 4 minContext. Introduce the passage setting, speaker or main characters, and genre in age-appropriate language.
  3. 8 minRead and observe. Read selected verses from Exodus 16:1-18 and 17:1-7, marking Need, Complaint, God's Instruction, and Provision. Ask: What two needs appear in these passages? What was manna, according to the story?
  4. 7 minDiscuss. Build a four-part path and discuss how daily provision called the people to trust without denying that the wilderness was hard. Ask: What does daily gathering teach about trust? What is one safe way to respond to provision?
  5. 8 minActivity. Complete the Need and Provision Path activity and review what it demonstrates. Activity: Need and Provision Path. Printable: K1-L11-P01-need-and-provision-path.
  6. 4 minRespond. Review the objective, repeat the take-home line, and pray.

Activity details

Need and Provision Path · 9 min

Materials: Four labelled cards; Table or floor space

  1. Place Need first.
  2. Add Complaint and describe the people's words without acting them out loudly.
  3. Add God's Instruction and Provision.
  4. Add Gratitude and Sharing as a present response.

Low-resource option: Draw four boxes on a board and point while retelling.

Closing

Memory verse: Exodus 16:4

Prayer: Thank God for daily provision and ask for generous, wise care for people in need.

Take-home line: God provided food and water for His people in need.